Commentary: 22nd Sun. OT A

Jeremiah 20: 7-9

Psalm 63

Romans 12: 1-2

Matthew 16: 21-27



The readings center today on rejection; that rejection that the one who preaches the word of God will experience. In the First Reading, the prophet Jeremiah is complaining to God that all of his work for God’s Name has brought him derision and trouble: “You duped me, Lord, and I let myself be duped!” Even in the midst of refusing to preach any longer, the prophet cries out, “But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart…I grow weary holding it in.” The Responsorial Psalm echoes this need in its refrain, “My soul is thirsting for You, O Lord my God.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples of his upcoming sufferings and death and resurrection. Peter, fresh from his “Rock” confirmation, pulls Jesus aside and objects—and Jesus calls him “Satan” and tells him, “Get out of my sight! You are not judging by God’s standards but by man’s.” Then turning to the disciples, Jesus tells them that following Him means “deny his very self, take up his cross, and begin to follow in My footsteps.” It is the fidelity with which each Christian does this that will be thewitness for him or her on the last day.



St. Augustine, speaking about this text, says: “What does it mean to take up one’s cross? It means bearing whatever is unpleasant—that is following Me. Once you begin to follow Me by conforming your life to My commandments, you will find many to contradict you, forbid you, or dissuade you, and some of these will be people calling themselves followers of Christ. If you are persecuted you ought, surely, to make light of any suffering for the sake of Christ.” (Sermo 96)



The in-course reading of Romans continues. Today we reach the section of the epistle that talks about Christian behavior (ethics). This does not stand by itself—the ethics are devised from all of what Paul has been writing about (justifying faith in Jesus) up until this point. The true “worship” of the Christian is to live a life in accord with God’s will; this will be our “living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.”